Multiple stage theater

ABSTRACT

A building structure that consists of several individual theaters each of which has three distinct levels. There is a balcony level for first class patrons with separate entrance and exit areas. There is a lower viewing level for regular class patrons. The projection level is for motion picture projection equipment and is located between the upper and the lower viewing levels. This gives all patrons of the theater an optimal look and feel for the reality of the motion picture shown on the projection screen. Additionally multiple audio speakers are located throughout the theater empirically so as to eliminate sound dead spots.

[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.09/490,948 filed Jan. 24, 2000, now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to a theater structure which is comprisedof numerous individual theaters. This relates to theaters for theshowing of live performances, regular motion picture productions, largeformat film productions, and other productions simultaneously in onelarge building.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] One favorite leisure time activity of persons in our society isthe viewing of theatrical performances. In our present complexelectronic age there are numerous structures for the viewing of specificperformances. There are structures for viewing of so called regularmotion picture productions; structures for the viewing of so called livetelevision performances such as sporting events; structures for viewingso called large format film productions, structures for viewing of socalled IMAX™ large format film productions, and the like. The presenttheater structure is designed primarily for purposes of construction ofa single building that is comprised of individual theaters eachindividual theater being capable of the showing of specific kinds oftheatrical performances, each of which individual theaters beingdesigned for the specific theatrical performance for which there is ageneral audience and a general supply of theatrical material to be shownat the individual theater.

[0004] At present there is a broad viewing audience or market for whatis called regular motion picture film productions and a more limitedviewing audience or market for so called large format film productions.The IMAX™ Corporation of The Dominion Of Canada is committed to theconcept of so called large format film productions. Due to the presenthigh cost of land and buildings in populated areas for which there is aviewing audience for the film productions it is desirable to maximizethe use or utility of the theater building constructed. This involves inthe present theater structure one large building that houses a pluralityof individual theaters with the building designed to accommodate thelocal viewing audience or market for the kinds of productions that thelocal market or viewing audience will patronize.

[0005] In the past there have been structures for theaters thatgenerally involve multiple seating arrangements for patrons of onesingle theater. While this is a desirable feature for the structure of atheater in the real world of audience patronage of theaters there aregenerally only two general classes of patrons that is a first class anda regular class of viewers.

[0006] The so called first class would consist of celebrities or socalled public figures such as the so called rich and famous and otherssimilarly situated even if not so well known. These first class patronsof the theater would expect amenities, special treatment, more luxuriousseating and other arrangements, and the like. The so called regularclass of patrons generally are expected to demand minimal conditions ofluxury, lower seating prices, and to generally experience morediscomfort than the so called first class of theater patrons.Accordingly it is a primary objective of the present invention to designa theater structure that caters to the diverse desires of these twogeneral classes fo theater patrons, the first class patrons and theregular class patrons.

[0007] Some of the patrons of theaters are so called disabled personsthat are confined to so called wheel chairs or who have otherdisabilities that require special seating arrangements for the disabledperson. At present these special seating arrangements are provided inrelatively undesirable areas of the theater such as the very frontviewing area of the theater. One of the objectives of the presentinvention is to provide seating areas for the disabled patronsthroughout the theater so that the disabled person would have a betterviewing angle and look and feel of the presentation that if the disabledperson were confined to seating at the very front of the theater.

[0008] A secondary objective of the present invention is to design atheater structure that permits more than one type of theaterpresentation within the structure of only one major theater buildingincluding but not limited to presentations of live theatricalperformances, regular motion picture presentations, large format motionpicture presentations including IMAX™ presentations, and otherspecialized theatrical presentations inside of only one theater buildingstructure.

[0009] Another objective of the present invention is to prevent socalled sound dead spots by providing multiple speakers throughout thetheater and eleminating any so called sound dead spots thereby.

[0010] In the past there have been theater structures that generally arethe opposite of the present invention in that the prior theaterstructures involve multiple seating arrangements for one theater. Thepresent invention includes this concept in the overall structure of thetheater then goes beyond this to disclose a theater structure thatpermits multiple individual theaters to be part of the overall theaterdesign.

[0011] Blankston in U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,143 discloses a theaterstructure within which separate viewing booths are arranged in thetheater in tiers. This structure accomodates numerous classes of theaterpatrons inside of one theater building. The disadvantage of such atheater concept is that in the real world there are generally only twogeneral classes of theater patrons, the first class patrons and theregular class patrons.

[0012] Kawake in U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,799 discloses a outdoor typetheater design also comprised of a tiered arrangement of enclosedindividual suites formed in an arcate patter. This type of theaterstructure does not cater to patrons of motion picture productions forwhich there is a broad general market or viewing audience. Also thistype of theater structure provides for multiple classes of patronswhereas the present invention is restricted to only two recognizedclasses of patrons.

[0013] Alter in U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,669 discloses a permanentlyconstructed theater with a ground level lobby. There is a projectionscreen and on the opposite end or the theater there is a motion pictureprojector. The motion picture projector is movable. This theaterstructure is specifically designed for so called large format filmprojection or IMAX™ film production. The individual theater design doesnot accomodate multiple classes of patrons nor is there special seatingfor the disabled in this structure.

[0014] Errato in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,850,712 and 5,890,323 discloses atheater structure which is modular in that modules can be added orremoved from the structure to accommodate different theatricalproductions. This is similar to the present invention. However, thepresent invention is comprised of permanently constructed individualtheaters whereas the modules of these structures must be movablyattached to each other for individual theatrical presentations.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0015] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide atheater building that is comprised of two levels of seating that is tosay first class seating and regular class seating. This permits patronsof a class such as celebrities and others similarly situated to beseated in one section of the theater and all others seated in yetanother section of the theater. The first class seating area of thetheater would have its own entrance and exit facilities separate andapart from the regular class seating facilities. Also the first classseating area would have its own separate concession stand and otheramenities separate from the regular class seating section.

[0016] Another and further object of the present invention is to providea theater structure with three levels, which is to say a ground levelfor regular class patrons, a projection level for the projection ofmotion pictures to a screen whether for regular motion pictureprojection or so called large format film projection such as IMAX™ filmprojection, and then a third level for the seating and viewing of firstclass theater patrons. This results in seating arrangements that providefor optimal viewing of the screen of both the regular class of patronsand the first class theater patrons.

[0017] A further object of the present invention is to provide a theaterstructure that has a projection level for motion picture film projectionto a screen on a separate and distinct level of the theater from theother levels of the theater. This provides for minimum disturbance ofthe patrons seated in the theater by the motion picture projectionsystem and at the same time for optimal viewing angles for all patronsseated in the theater.

[0018] A further object of the present invention is to provide a theaterbuilding that has a plurality of theater structures all in one largetheater building. Each structure may be designed for specific purposessuch as IMAX™ or large film format production, for regular filmproduction, for live audience viewing, and the like.

[0019] A further object of the present invention is to provide a theaterdesign that has numerous speakers placed throughout the theater so as toeleminate so called sound dead spots in the audience area.

[0020] A further object of the present invention is to provide a theaterdesign that has special seating arrangements for so called disabledpatrons throughout the theater instead at the very front viewing area ofthe theater which will give these patrons more of a look and feel forthe theatrical production being viewed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021]FIG. 1 is a side view of an individual regular theater.

[0022]FIG. 2 is a top view of the ground floor level of the individualregular theater.

[0023]FIG. 3 is a top view of the individual regular theater showing theprojection booth.

[0024]FIG. 4 shows the upper viewing level.

[0025]FIG. 5 is a top view of the overall ground level of the entirebuilding.

[0026]FIG. 6 is a top view of the overall projection mezzanine of theentire building.

[0027]FIG. 7 is a top view of the overall upper viewing level of theentire building.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0028] In the drawings:

[0029] The individual theater 1 has a lower viewing level 2 and an upperviewing level 3. There is an upper seating area 4 for first classpatrons 19 and a lower seating area 5 for regular class patrons 20.

[0030] The individual theater 1 has a theater entrance corridor atground level 6 for regular class patrons 20. There is a projectionmezzanine 7 and an upper mezzanine 8. The upper mezzanine 8 is the firstclass area leading to the first class seating area 4 and is completelysegregated from the regular class area. The theater has a motion pictureprojector 9 located in the projection level 22. The theater has at leastone heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit 10 located on thetheater roof. There is a viewing screen 11, a front sound system 12,wall mounted speakers 13 and a speaker platform 14. There is a bafflewall 15 for the front speakers. The speakers are emprically placed so asto eliminate any so called sound dead spots in the theater.

[0031] The theater has an exit corridor 16 a building wall 17 andheating, ventilating, and air conditioning ducts 18.

[0032] The ground floor level of the individual theater 1 has the lowerviewing area 2 for the regular class patrons 20. The lower viewing area2 has an entry vestibule 21 from the main corridor 6 and an entrance tothe lower viewing area 23. There is a ground level aisle 24 with crossaisle 25 and seating aisles 26 with steps 27. The cross aisle 25 is forpurposes of seating of disabled persons other than at the very front ofthe theater. There are side walls 28 to the theater, a front baffle wall15 and a projection screen 11. There is a handicap person ramp 29 whichleads to the disabled person viewing area at the front of the theater30. The theater has exit corridors 31.

[0033] The projection booth 32 has a motion picture projector 9, aprojection port 33 and a projection wall 34. There are seats fordisabled persons 35 and ambulatory person seating 36 in the front of thelower viewing level 2. The projection booth 32 is located on its ownseparate level 22 of the theater. The projection level is locatedbetween the upper viewiing level 3 and the lower viewing level 2 inorder to completely segregate the upper viewing level 3 from the lowerviewing level 2 and additionally to provide the optimal viewing anglefor the theater patrons on each of the two viewing levels.

[0034] The upper viewing level 3 has entrance and exit doors 37. Thereare steps 38 to the upper seating area 4 and a low front wall 39. Thisfront wall 39 is an angled structure that permits optimal viewing of thescreen by patrons in the upper viewing level.

[0035] There is a main entrance 40 a ticket booth 41 and a main lobby42. There is a main corridor 43 and a centrally located concession stand44. Along the main corridor 43 there are entrances 22 to the individualtheaters. There is an escalator 45 and stairs 46 that lead to the upperviewing level. The building is comprised of smaller individual regulartheaters 1 and one centrally located large screen theater 47 for viewingof so called IMAX or larger format film viewing.

[0036] The projection mezzanine 7 is reached by way of the escalator 45or the stairs 46. There is a main corridor 48 which leads to individualprojection booths 32 with individual motion picture projectors 9. Themain corridor 48 of the projection mezzanine 7 is reached through theentrance door 48.

[0037] The upper level corridor 49 is reached by the escalator 45 or thestairs 46. There is a concession stand 44 at this level. From the maincorridor 49 each individual theater 1 is reached by way of entrance andexit doors 37.

[0038] The above description and drawings of the invention are forpurposes of description and are not intended for limitations of theinvention.

What is claimed is: 1) A structure for theatrical presentationscomprising: a plurality of individual theaters each of which has twosegregated levels of seating for two classes of patrons and a thirdlevel separate from the segregated seating levels for a motion pictureprojection camera. 2) A structure described in claim 1 wherein theplurality of theaters is comprised of at least one regular motionpicture projection theater and at least one large format film motionpicture projection theater. 3) A structure described in claim 1 whereineach segregated seating level has seating for disabled patrons at areasother than only at the very front of the theater. 4) A structuredescribed in claim 1 wherein one seggrated seating area of the theateris comprised of a balcony and the other segregated seating area iscomprised of a lower ground level. 5) A structure described in claim 1wherein each individual theater has multiple sound speakers placedthroughout the theater so as to eleminate sound dead spots in thetheater. 6) A motion picture theater comprising: two segregated seatingareas for two distinct classes of patrons and a third segregated areafor placement of a motion picture projection system. 7) A theaterdescribed in claim 6 wherein one segregated seating area is a balconylevel of the theater with its separate entrance and exit areas and theother segregated seating area is a ground level seating area withseparate entrance and exit areas. 8) A theater described in claim 6wherein the motion picture projection level of the theater is locatedbetween the upper balcony seating area and the lower ground levelseating area. 9) A motion picture theater described in claim 6 whereinseparate seating for disabled persons is provided for at areas of thetheater other than at the very front of the theater. 10) A motionpicture theater described in claim 6 wherein multiple speakers arelocated in the theater in such a manner that sound dead spots areeliminated.